Serving Notice Of My Intention To Organise Peaceful Protests With Regard To The Kumawu Chieftaincy Dispute

Being an avid follower of the ongoing Kumawu chieftaincy dispute dating as far back as year 2007, coupled with my knowledge of Kumawu history as acquired through both oral tradition and extensive research work, I have come to the conclusion that peaceful protests will be needed as a vital catalytic component to resolving the seemingly unending problem.

I have always rallied behind any genuine cause in my determination to be of service to my people, humanity and nation. It really hurts me to see people being maltreated or denied justice for the simple fact that they are needy. Are poor, uneducated or disabled persons not human beings that have equal rights as the extremely rich, highly educated and abled persons under the Charter of the United Nations and The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)? Are poor persons not worthy of justice before the law? Are they to be denied justice because of their unfortunate low status in society?

There is an internationally known legal dictum that goes, “Justice delayed, is justice denied”. There is no denying of the existential veracity of the legal saying just cited. If this is the case, then what bearing will it have on the pending Kumawu chieftaincy dispute that started since 2007 with obviously established and perceived instances of perpetration of injustices against one party in particular and the citizens of Kumawuman in general?

It is in order to stop the injustice in its tracks to ensure the prevalence of justice that I intend to embark on a series of peaceful protests at the appropriate time. I shall proceed to Ghana to start that come what may. No foe can stop me from executing my civic or human rights as to the intended peaceful public protests.

Why is Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, a person without conventional mandate to meddle in Kumawu chieftaincy affairs does have the audacity to dubiously impose a royal-candidate of his choice on Kumawu as their paramount chief? Those not conversant with the 1992 Ghana Constitution and sections of the Criminal Code 1960 (Act 29), do argue blindly that the court may have the right to throw away any appeal instituted against his collusive settlement of the Kumawu chieftaincy case brought before him at his Manhyia Palace on 24 February 2014. According to them, the settlement was in the form of arbitration and that Otumfuo Osei Tutu II pardoned all those found to have committed acts of wrongdoing. In arbitration, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has the prerogative of pardon, so they say.

From what transpired at Manhyia Palace on 24 February 2014 as captured on recorded video and posted on YouTube under the heading, “Asantehene involved in corruption” and under the web link below, acts of extortion and bribery were committed. Even though the incidents of extortion and bribery as captured on the video had to do with chieftaincy, they are not causes and matters that only the Traditional Judicial Committees and the Supreme Court have jurisdiction over. What had happened as reported by Kumawuhemaa amounted to extortion and bribery which crimes are infractions of the law hence prosecutable and punishable by any court of law.

Asantehene has no right under the Ghana constitution to pardon committals of extortion and bribery that infringe the laws of the land and where the victim decides to take legal action against the perpetrator of the offence. He has the shameless boldness to insist that whatever he says goes in Ghana and that no court in Ghana has the power to reverse his decisions taken on adjudication of cases brought before him irrespective of how biased, prejudicial or irresponsible such decisions may be.

Watch the underlying YouTube post titled, “Otumfuo..Is any One Man Bigger than Ghana Judicial System?” and under the YouTube link:

From the contents of the web link below, both conventional and constitutional breaches could be established against Kumawuhemaa and Dr Yaw Sarfo, the person Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and his colluding Asanteman Council imposed on Kumawu as their paramount chief (Omanhene). The elders of Kumawu had gone to his palace for the settlement of the invocation of his Great Oath (Asantehene Ntamkese) by certain individuals but he sidestepped it and rather pursued the enstoolment of Dr Yaw Sarfo as Kumawu paramount chief, although he had no right to do that. This could be verified from the first YouTube link above.

The web link below and titled, “RE: Asantehene is the Overlord of Asanteman” is where most of the laws and conventions said to have been breached could be ascertained.

I wonder why institutions that otherwise should be playing neutral role, like the registrars of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs (Kumasi) and National House of Chiefs (Kumasi) have rather actively taken sides with Dr Yaw Sarfo. The registrar of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs (Kumasi) has refused to release a true certified copy of the Chieftaincy Declaration Form filled out by Dr Yaw Sarfo before he was gazetted by the National House of Chiefs as Kumawuhene. The Kumawuman Subjects Living Abroad (KSLA), caused a search to be conducted into whether or not Dr Yaw Sarfo has been gazetted as Kumawuhene. The search turned out to be yes with the date of his gazetting indicated

However, when we requested a copy of the forms filled by him subsequent upon which he was gazetted, they have refused us a copy, although the document, is a public record that must be available to any sound-minded person desirous to see it or have a copy. We suspect fraudulent practice has taken place. This is because court cases were pending against him prior to the date of his gazetting. And until the cases had been disposed of in his favour by the courts, he could not rightfully have qualified for gazetting so how come that he was gazetted?

Anyway, any issue about the Ananangya/Odumase royals being deprived of their throne is a matter for them to deal with. If they choose to be cowards, scuttling away from Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Kumawuhemaa Nana Abenaa Serwaah Amponsah and Dr Yaw Sarfo, like a frightened dog with its tail tucked in-between its legs, is their cup of tea. My concern is to prevent the injustice and abuses of power being masterminded and orchestrated by the mentioned persons in contravention of the existing and acceptable conventions and laws.

I have researched and found out that “the right to peaceful protest in the UK is expressly guaranteed under European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).There are many cases throughout history of peaceful protest being used to great effect and changing the world”

Additionally, “The World Federation of UN Associations expressed the right of protest in terms more recognisable to a lawyer in a recent communication to the U.N. Secretary-General when it noted that "the Charter of the United Nations and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights declare the right to adhere to one's own views, to express them freely, to take part in any meeting and mass demonstration"

With the above explanations, I have the absolute right to organise peaceful demonstrations to ensure that justice is done to Kumawuman subjects including myself, Rockson Adofo, a native of Kumawu. There is no way that I am going to sit on the fence twirling my fingers while Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II connives with some people to inflict daylight robbery on the law-abiding citizens of Kumawu because he sees them as poor and cowards without ability and the means to challenge his apparent abuses of power and trust.

Not long ago, it was conveyed to my attention that some persons were dispatched to Kumawu to investigate whether or not the calm prevailing in Kumawu is truly an indication that the entire subjects of Kumawuman have embraced Dr Yaw Sarfo as Kumawu paramount chief irrespective of any court cases pending against him on his enstoolment as Kumawuhene (paramount chief of Kumawu).

Following that information, I protested against that dubiously arranged fact-finding mission by publishing the underlying article on Modernghana internet news portal on 18 February 2018 under their Feature Article column headlined, “Are The NPP Kidding Themselves Or God With Regards To The Ongoing Kumawu Chieftaincy Dispute?” The full story can be found under the following link.

To show how seriously I am determined to fight for the establishment of the absolute truth in the ongoing Kumawu chieftaincy dispute and my resolve to stage protests, I have copied in Amnesty International and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights at Geneva.

The author has authored 1683 publications on Modern Ghana. Author's column: RocksonAdofo

Disclaimer: "The views/contents expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of Rockson Adofo and do not neccessarily reflect those of Modern Ghana. Modern Ghana will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in this article."